News Release

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Los Angeles: Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Olympic Station expect to return a few hundred items taken from more than 100 cars to their rightful owners. (To view all recovered stolen items, please click here)

Since January 2010, between the early morning hours, patrol officers responded to more than 20 locations where property was stolen from parked cars. Investigators believe that two suspects targeted the vehicles in subterranean parking lots of apartment complexes in areas of Korea Town, Rampart, Wilshire and Hollywood.

The suspects would enter the parking garages and fill empty backpacks with clothing, sports apparel, GPS devices, cameras, sunglasses, designer purses, jewelry, watches, ID cards and other items commonly found inside a car. The suspects would then store the backpacks in local motels. In one motel room, the investigating detectives found several backpacks filled with a variety of items.

The suspects, Alejandro Torres and Jesse Torres, both 22 years old, were arrested and booked at Olympic Station on April 10, 2010, at 4 a.m.

Anyone whose car was broken into when parked in a subterranean parking structure in one of the areas mentioned above within the last few months is asked to call Detective Ron Kim, Olympic Property Crimes Unit at 213-382-9370, or 213-382-9440. Detectives will assist victims of these thefts in retrieving their stolen property.

During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.